Brotherly Assistance
by Heuress
Summary: After the tragic death of his wife, Matthew was left with the responsibility of raising their son Francis. However, he won't be alone; his heroic brother's come to the rescue and has decided to move in with Matthew to 'help out'. Now the two brothers must face the frightening prospects of child-rearing. Will they live to tell the tale? Only time will tell.
1. Brothers and Burgers

**A/N: Hello, people! Happy Father's Day!**

**Just to let you know (if the summary hadn't been very thorough), this is kind of a reversed-role story. I've read many stories where Francis was Matthew's older brother or father (same goes for Arthur and Alfred), yet for some reason, I've never come across a story where it was the other way around. I had the sudden need to rectify that. After all, in the world of fanfiction, anything is possible! Which is why I decided to write this fic. This means that _everyone's _roles will be flipped. For example, while Ivan will still be the middle child, Natalya will now be the oldest and Yekaterina (or as some people like to call her, Katyusha) will be the youngest. This goes for everyone except Matthew and Alfred (their ages will still be canon- well, they won't be centuries old, but the age difference will still be there). Oh! And another thing! Cuba doesn't really have an "official human name", so I just called him Carlos in this. Why? Because Carlos.**

**The first chapter is, admittedly, pretty bad but I hope that you find it at least satisfactory (you probably won't, but one can dream, da?). It's also pretty short and this author's note is probably as long as the chapter ha (please ignore my pathetic excuse of a joke). I'll only really continue this if anyone's interested, as it was just a little muse of mine that wouldn't get out of my head. I'm pretty much an amateur at writing, so any kind of feedback is welcome, including constructive criticism. I strive to improve, after all :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

**Chapter One- Burgers and Brothers**

One month.

It had been one month since the woman he had loved had passed away. Over the past long, torturous, terrible month, he'd struggled to raise their son as a single father- hell, he was still struggling. Not only that, but on top of trying to raise a child properly, he was constantly tired. Exhausted. Knackered. Between juggling a job, raising a kid, coming up with enough money to pay the rent and the bills, the blond man had his hands full and hadn't had a moment's rest. It was excruciatingly hard balancing all these important priorities alone- the death of his wife had come as a major blow and a huge shock. It had shaken Matthew to the very core and he had started to have huge doubts about whether or not he was mentally (and physically) capable of raising his child. If his brother hadn't convinced him otherwise, Matthew was sure that he'd have burdened other people with making them bring up his son.

After having been convinced by his brother to raise Francis, Matthew still hadn't been completely sure that he could do this- that he could actually raise his child all on his own. But somehow though, by some miraculous stroke of luck, he was doing it. He wasn't, for lack of better word, fucking it all up. Sure, he'd been forced to make massive sacrifices along the way, but so long as his son was happy and healthy, Matthew was content.

"Mattie. Did you hear what I just said? Maaaaaattttieeeeeeeee! Are you even listening to me? Hey Mattie! I'm talking to you!"

Well, maybe not content exactly. But something similar. After all, how could a man who recently lost his wife be content? Matthew wasn't one for moping about and completely losing his way (in his opinion, at least), even if it had been rather tempting during the first few days after his wife's passing. Still, with the help of those who loved him dearly (who was he kidding, nobody loved him), Matthew managed to pull through and suck it up for the sake of his only child.

"Hey! Mattie! Listen to me!"

A pair of fingers snapped in front of Matthew's face and the man in question snapped out of it. He stared at the brown and yellow blob that was seated across from him and frowned. He took his glasses off and started wiping the lenses with a handkerchief (he never used it anyway and Matthew was absolutely certain that it was clean).

"Hey, dude, you okay? You kinda zoned out for a minute there."

Matthew placed his glasses over the bridge of his nose and blinked, focusing on his brother, "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Alfred's face looked genuinely concerned and it really touched Matthew that he would be even the slightest bit worried about him.

"Positive."

"Here, have a burger," a large cheeseburger was thrust into Matthew's hands before he could even politely decline, "it tastes great."

Matthew glanced down at the cheeseburger before setting it back down on Alfred's tray, "No thanks, Al. I'm not really hungry."

"Not hungry? Dude, you have to eat! We're at a restaurant!"

"We're at MacDonald's."

"Yeah, which is a restaurant!" Alfred exclaimed as his hand swiped the chocolate-flavoured milkshake off the table. He brought the straw up to his lips and started slurping loudly. He seemed to mewl in delight, much to Matthew's slight amusement.

"Well, like I said. I'm not really hungry. Maybe later though, eh?"

Alfred attempted to pout with the straw still in his mouth, "You need the energy though!"

Matthew smiled softly, "I've got enough energy to get me through the day, thanks. Besides, I had a big breakfast."

Alfred immediately stopped slurping and put the milkshake down. His expression turned serious as he said, "A big breakfast? _A big breakfast_?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. Here we go...

"A 'big' breakfast isn't enough, Matt, not nearly enough! You're a grown-ass man and you need as much calories as you can get!" Alfred ignored Matthew's frown and continued, "Skipping meals isn't gonna make you skinnier; it'll only make you feel worse! Believe me, I know."

"You've never skipped a meal a day in your life."

"I have so! Remember that time when I was thirteen? Some kid called me fat and I skipped meals for an _entire _day!"

Matthew sighed, "No you didn't, Al. It was Carlos who did that."

"Oh yeah. Wait, who?"

"Carlos. The Cuban kid in our class. He used to hate you, remember?"

"Oh yeah. How'd you remember that?"

"He's a good friend of mine."

Alfred quipped, "I thought you had no friends."

"Thanks, Al."

"No, I'm serious; I really thought you had no friends!"

"I know that."

"You know you have no friends?"

"No, I know that you thought- you know what, nevermind. Let's just change the subject, please." Matthew almost pleaded. Chatting about his non-existent social life was not something he particularly liked. Of course though, his brother ignored him.

"What I'm trying to say is that starving yourself won't help with whatever you're going through."  
"I'm not going through anything, eh."

Alfred gave him a look, "Don't bullshit me, bro. I know the past few weeks have been tough on you."

Matthew was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable and he had a certain feeling he knew where this was going, "I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's what you've been saying every day for the past month. Every. Single. Day. Or you know, that's what I imagine. This is the first time I've even seen you in days. I get that you're busy, but you could at least pick up the damn phone from time to time."

Matthew threw Alfred a guilty look, "You know what? I think I will have that burger." Matthew lifted the cheeseburger off his brother's tray and took a bite; he almost spat it out as soon as he did. That tasted awful! How could Alfred eat this?

"Something's different about you, Matthew. You've changed and I'm getting a little... well, worried about you. I'm starting to think you need help."

"Help?" Matthew echoed, choking the words out as he bit into the burger again and chewed slowly.

"Yes."

"I don't understand- I've been doing very well. I go to work, I cook, I clean, look after Francis- I'm doing great."

"No, Matthew you're not. You look like shit! You're an absolute mess. Just look at you!"

Matthew turned his head to the side to face the window. Staring right back at him was a sorry-looking man with mussled blond hair, droopy eyes with dark rings under them and impossibly pale, chalk-like skin. He did indeed look terrible, "It's not that bad." he mumbled, trying to reassure himself, but Alfred didn't hear him. Turning back to face his brother, Matthew queried, "So you're saying I should get professional help?"

"Yes."

Matthew took another bite and forced himself to swallow; he instantly regretted it. His stomach rumbled lowly and he started to feel a little sick. He placed the burger back down and pushed it away from him, "I think I've lost my appetite."

Alfred ignored him, "I know exactly who's going to help you."

"Who?" Matthew asked softly and quietly, not really giving a maple about who Alfred had in mind; he was just being polite. He didn't need any help and he wasn't going to get any. No one had offered before and he was perfectly fine on his own. He wasn't going to go see a shrink, or a therapist, or whoever it was that Alfred wanted him to see. Telling him that he needed help simply because of his appearance seemed pretty ludicrous to him.

"Me!" Alfred exclaimed with a bright grin. The change in Alfred's demeanor almost made Matthew do a double-take. Almost.

"I should've known..." Matthew muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing." Matthew sighed, "Why do you want to 'help' me?"

"Because you obviously need my assistance. In fact, this was the reason I brought you here."

"You brought me to MacDonald's so that you could tell me that I need help." Matthew stated blankly.

"Exactly! Well, that and because I was hungry. For burgers. And now, I'm about to tell you a truly amazing idea that I'm sure you're simply dying to hear!" Matthew expected Alfred to explode from excitement judging by the way he was acting, "I'm going to... wait for it... LIVE WITH YOU!"

A few heads whipped around to face them due to Alfred's enthusiastic bellow, but Matthew paid them no attention, "Excuse me?"

"I'm going to live with you! Isn't that exciting?"

Alfred's statement was met with utter silence on Matthew's part. Surely this was some sort of joke?

"Come on! Aren't you going to say something?"

Matthew remained mute.

"I mean, my rent's gotta be paid in a few days, so... now's the time to flyyyy~!"

No response.

"I bet you're only quiet because you're dying of excitement!"

The silence was quickly starting to stretch far and wide.

"Mattie!"

"Yes?" Matthew immediately responded.

"I'm going to live with you!"

"So you say."

"Aren't you excited?"

Matthew watched Alfred with conflicted eyes. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? Was he just supposed to refuse his brother's offer? He could offend Alfred if he did that. Was he supposed to just accept it and invite Alfred to live with him? That could prove to be problematic in the future. No, scratch that- it was a problem right now. He couldn't afford to house Alfred. And what of Arthur? "What about your son?"

"What? Speak up."

"I said, what about your son?"

"Oh, he'll come too of course."

Matthew suddenly deflated. How would he be able to look after two children and an Alfred? He had work to do and he doubted that his babysitter would be very happy with looking after three kids. "This... this is a joke, right?"

"A joke? Of course not! Oh, how you insult me, dear brother!"

"So you're... serious about this?"

"Duh."

"Why?"

Alfred smiled, "To help you out, of course."

"To help me... out?"

"Well yeah."

Matthew forced himself to smile back at Alfred. How was he going to tell his brother that he would be more of a liability than a help? How was he supposed to tell him that he would just make it that much harder for him? "What, er... what would you do?"

"Well, I figured I'd just stay home and help out with the kids."

"Kids?"

"Yeah, kids. Arthur's gonna be there. I just told you that."

"Oh. That's right, you did." Matthew awkwardly turned his head away to stare at some of the customers waiting for their orders. He drummed his fingers on the edge of the table before musing, "Huh. Didn't peg you to be a stay-at-home dad."

Alfred shrugged, "Eh, I'm not good with work. Work is awful. And boring. I'd much rather stay at home- in fact, I already do. Part of the reason why I got fi-" Alfred stopped abruptly.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What were you just going to say?"

"Nothing." Alfred repeated, shifting his eyes away. That man was a terrible liar...

"Alfred..."

The elder brother released something between a groan and a sigh and threw his head back, "Oh alright! I got fired, okay?"

"Fired? Al-"

Alfred held up a finger, "Don't start, Matthew. That job was fucking awful and my ex-boss was mental. If I hadn't been fired, I would've quit."

Matthew started weakly, "Al..."

Alfred shook his head, "I don't want to hear it, Matt. What's done is done."

The two brothers sat in silence and Matthew couldn't help but wonder what the hell Alfred had done. Just a few weeks ago, he'd been bragging about his job at Subway and about how he got to eat what he wanted (which he wasn't technically allowed to do, but Alfred wasn't really one for following rules). Then again, that had been a few weeks ago... before _she _died...

"Could... could you at least tell me what happened?" Matthew broke the silence softly before he could take a trip down memory lane... a trip he really didn't feel like going on right now.

Alfred averted his gaze and turned his head to the window, his arms behind his head and his hands supporting it, "Not right now. Maybe later."

"Alright then. But... if you're unemployed now... and if your rent's due in a matter of days, then... doesn't that mean...?" Matthew paused, finally fitting the pieces together. It finally made sense, why Alfred wanted to stay over. He was just going to use Matthew's apartment because he didn't have the money to pay for his own anymore. After all, Alfred had always complained about money problems. Really, in light of this new information, Matthew didn't know whether to feel relieved or angry. Relieved because Alfred didn't think he was a loser who needed 'help' (at least, Matthew hoped he didn't) and angry because he was just using him and his apartment. Although in truth, Matthew didn't know if he had it in him to be angry. At least, not right now. "Oh. I see."

Alfred's eyes flickered over to his younger brother and he (surprisingly) seemed to pick up on what Matthew was thinking, "It's not like that; I mean it is, but it isn't. I really do want to help out, Matthew."

Matthew didn't say anything, instead opting to bob his head.

"I mean, I _might _have the money to pay the damn rent, but then I won't have any for video games, and Arthur..." Alfred trailed on, staring at Matthew pitifully. Matthew looked right back at him, his will beginning to crumble. It was just- Alfred looked so damn pitiful and just plain _sad_.

"I-I could lend you some money, I suppose..."

Alfred's puppy-dog expression was wiped away in an instant, "No! I mean, that sounds cool and all, but I'd rather we just stayed with you!"

Huh. It wasn't like Alfred to say 'no' to money. "Why?"

"I already told you. I could help out. I could look after Francis while you're at work-"

"-he has a babysitter-"

"-I could clean and... and cook!"

"You're a terrible cook, Alfred."

"That's mean, Mattie."

"Sorry." Matthew apologised.

"Besides, I'm an awesome cook. I can make burgers!"

"That's all you can make."

"I can also make hot dogs!"

"Mmm, burgers and hot dogs every day. Delicious."

"I know, right?"

"I was being sarcastic, Al."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Alfred waved it off, "It's okay. I forgive you. So..."

"So...?"

"Is it okay if Arthur and I come live with you?"

Matthew's gaze dropped to the table. He could be the bad guy and be completely honest- tell Alfred that he would rather give him the money (he couldn't let his brother live on the street, after all) and continue living life without any 'help'. Or he could be the good guy and lie- invite Alfred over and tell him to stay for as long as he needed (wanted). Matthew didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to be mean. Besides, it wasn't just Alfred he had to take into consideration- it was Francis and Arthur, too. Those two did not get along. Still, though... Matthew couldn't bear the thought of his brother and nephew living off of charity money and just barely getting by. He sighed. There was only one option then...

"Alright."

Alfred must not have heard, because there was no whoop of pure joy that followed.

"Alright, Alfred. You can come." Matthew repeated a little louder (but not too loud).

"What...?"

Matthew sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, "Do you need me to repeat that for you?"

"Are you serious? You'll really let me and Arthur stay?" _Arthur and I, Arthur and I, Arthur and I..._

"Yes...?"

...And there was Alfred's whoop of pure joy. "Oh, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!" Alfred exploded into a dozen sparkly stars that flew out of the restaurant and into the bright sky. Matthew smiled at him.

Alfred grinned, his eyes twinkling, "You won't regret this, bro!"

_I hope not._

After a few more minutes of Alfred dancing in his seat and singing (much to the annoyance of everyone else in the restaurant, with the exception of Matthew, who was merely an amused on-looker), Matthew wondered what time it was. He looked down at his watch and cursed, "Maple..."

"Huh?"

Matthew's head snapped up, "I have to go."

Alfred's previously cheery countenance fell, "What! Why? I thought this was your day off?!"

"It is."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I need to pick up Francis."

"But it's Saturday." Alfred pointed out.

"I'm well aware of that, thanks. I need to take him to the dentist. He has an appointment in a little less than an hour. If I don't go get him now, we'll be late. Come on, I'll drop you off at your apartment."

"Oh. Hey, I'll come with you!"

"Obviously, I'm dropping you off-"

"No, I meant I'll come with you and we can both take Franny to the dent-!"

"No." Matthew shot down immediately.

"Come on! It'll be great! It'll be like uncle-nephew bonding time or something!"

"I'm just taking him to the dentist, Alfred." Matthew stood up and grabbed his jacket.

"And so will I!"

"No, you won't. Besides, don't you have your own son to get back to?"

Alfred huffed, "Hey, Kiku's taking good care of him right now. Arthur really needs to spend more time with his uncle."

"Kiku isn't his uncle-"

"Yes he is! You take that back right now!" Alfred 'lightly' punched Matthew's forearm.

"OK, I take it back... you didn't need to punch me."

"Sorry. Now let's go!"

"Alfred-"

"Nah, nah, nah, I'm goin' with you!"

"You know what? Fine. I don't have time to argue with you. Just get in the car." Matthew relented and looked on as Alfred ran over to Matthew's red car with a giant whoop. He couldn't believe he had just allowed Alfred to live with him _and_ allowed him to come to the dentist with Matthew and Francis (although really, there was nothing particularly wrong with the latter one- it's not like he could really do anything there anyway). God, he was such a pushover.


	2. Car Troubles

**Chapter Two- Car Troubles**

"Hey Mattie, speed up! Come on, bro. Go faster!"

Heaving a sigh, Matthew's eyes flickered over to Alfred, "I can't go any faster; I'd be pushing the speed limit."

Alfred pouted, "Just go a _tiny _bit faster then."

"No."

"Why not?" Alfred whined.

"I just told you why not. Besides, I'm not up for getting a speeding ticket."

Alfred huffed, "You're gonna be late for Francis' appointment at this rate... and I gotta go number one."

"Whose fault is that?"

"Yours. You let me have all that coke."

"You're right, I'm sorry. It's obviously my fault that you have no self-restraint." Matthew muttered, but Alfred didn't hear him.

"Drive faster, I gotta pee!"

"Why didn't you go before?"

"Because I didn't need to then!" Alfred ignored Matthew's eye roll and continued, "Either go faster or pull over so I can take a leak."

With eyes trained on the road in front of him, Matthew answered, "We're almost there. Just hold it in for a while."

"I can't!" Alfred groaned as he started bouncing a little in his seat. He was starting to grow restless, but Matthew couldn't really do anything about it. Alfred was watching Matthew intently like a hawk out of the corner of his eyes, his hands placed in between his legs. He started tapping his feet for a few seconds before jiggling his legs. It unnerved Matthew a little.

"Alfred, I know it's hard, but could you please hold it in for just a bit longer? We'll be home in ten minutes tops." Matthew's only response was a silent whine. Alfred's eyes screwed up and he grimaced, his face morphing into a pained expression. Matthew knew all too well what that meant. "Alright, Alright. We'll stop at the next gas station or something. Just... just don't urinate in my car, please."

"Thanks, man. You're the best."

"I know." Matthew murmured.

"Well, second best. I'm the best. No wait- you're the third best. Or fourth. Maybe fifth. Actually, you're the sixth best-"

"I get it, Al. I'm the sixth best."

"No, hang on- you're the ninth best."

"You can stop now."

"You're probably the eleventh-"

"Oh look, we're here." Matthew interjected, making a sharp turn at the nearest exit. He drove to the parking lot and parked the car. Before he could stop the car, Alfred opened the door and leaped out of the vehicle, rushing towards the gas station. Matthew shook his head after him a little and leaned back against his seat. He could feel the vibrations from the car course through his body and he closed his eyes, waiting for Alfred to come back. He stayed like that for a while, resting on the driver's seat with his eyes shut. He waited for so long that it started to get slightly chilly inside the car. He peeled one eyelid back and stared at the wide-open car door. So Alfred still hadn't come back. Sighing, Matthew unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. He headed for the gas station, hands buried inside his large pockets.

As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted with a gust of warm air. He scanned the area for his brother and when he finally caught the blond-haired idiot grabbing a large chocolate bar, he made a beeline straight for him with hurried footsteps. Alfred inspected the bar of chocolate, shaking his head a little as he placed it back in its original place. When Matthew reached him, he tapped his shoulders, causing Alfred to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Nyah!"

"Al, what are you doing? I thought you needed the toilet."

"I did. I already went, so I figured I'd just take a look around. You know, see if you wanted anything. So... do you?"

Matthew's unimpressed look was answer enough.

"I'll take that as a 'no', then..." Alfred awkwardly turned on the spot to face the many delicacies that begged to be eaten. Alfred bent forward slightly with a hand hovering over all the wondrous goodies. To eat or not to eat? That was the question.

"Alfred, we need to leave now. We've already wasted enough time."

"Yeah, hang on a sec..."

Matthew waited patiently for a few more moments, but it seemed that Alfred just couldn't make his mind up, "Alfred, we really need to go-"

"In a minute, in a minute! I'm picking out something for my nephew, okay? Sheesh."

Matthew blinked and questioned in disbelief, "You're picking out chocolate for a boy who's just about to go to the dentist's?"

"Yeah, now be quiet. I can't focus with you breathing down my neck like that."

Matthew's disapproving eyes stared down at him through his glasses, "Fine, I'll just leave you behind then."

"Yeah, you do that." Alfred muttered to himself, not really paying any attention. It was only when he heard footsteps walking away that he realised what his brother was doing, "Wait!" Alfred swiped a random chocolate bar before hurrying over to the counter. Matthew watched him pay for the chocolate and as soon as Alfred had, he sauntered back over to Matthew.

"Now we can go."

The brothers left the gas station and headed back to the car. Before they even reached the vehicle, Alfred sprinted over to the driver's seat, "I get to drive now!"

"No you don't."  
"Why not?"

"It's my car."

"So?"

"So I drive."

Alfred stuck his tongue out, "Too late."

Before Matthew could protest, Alfred slipped inside and buckled up. Alfred blew a raspberry at his brother, causing Matthew to rub his temples. Alfred could be such a pain. Deciding to let Alfred have his way (again), Matthew trudged towards the passenger's seat. He went inside and buckled his seat belt.

"Do you think we should refuel the car? It looks like it might be running out of gas." Matthew stated, his eyes locked on the dashboard.

"Nah!"

"We are running low though..."

"Don't be silly, Matt! We've got enough."

"But it looks like it's going to-"

"Mattie, Mattie, relax. We'll be fine. Besides, shouldn't we get back to Francis right now? If we don't go now, he'll be late for his appointment." Alfred trilled.  
Matthew hesitated for a moment, but eventually conceded, "I guess you're right."

"'Course I'm right." Alfred drove out of the parking lot and back onto the main road. He turned the radio on, making music blast from the speakers. Matthew tried to ignore the horrible sound that emitted from the radio, but it proved to be too hard to tune out, "Could you turn the volume down?"

Alfred didn't seem to hear him. He was too busy trying to sing along.

"Al," Matthew petitioned, "turn it down please."

"What?" Alfred yelled at Matthew, making the younger brother wince.

"Turn the volume down."

"Oh." Alfred fiddled with the dials and, to Matthew's horror, increased the volume.

"What are you doing?" Matthew demanded.

"Listening to music."

Matthew's ear drums almost exploded and it felt like his brain was rattling inside his cranium. He outstretched a hand to turn the volume down, but it was batted away. His eyes narrowed slightly at his idiotic brother, who was still singing horribly off-key, "Alfred, turn it down."

Alfred shook his head, singing (shouting) at the top of his lungs. Huffing, Matthew slapped Alfred's forearm. It hadn't even affected Alfred at all, but the man tilted his head sideways to face Matthew with a mildly astonished expression, "What d'you do that for?"

"Turn the volume down, _please_." Matthew pleaded, his eyes fixed on the road straight ahead. Alfred pouted, but obeyed nonetheless. Matthew released a sigh of relief, "Thank-you."

Alfred grunted in acknowledgement, pressing his foot down on the acceleration pedal. Alfred smirked as he revved the car and it began to pick up speed. Matthew's eyes widened exponentially, "Alfred, w-what are you doing? Slow down."

"I thought we were in a hurry, Mattie."

"We are; y-you don't need to go so fast though, eh."

As always, Alfred ignored Matthew. The car zoomed past others in the same lane, causing more than one person to honk at them. Matthew gazed far ahead at the red light that gleamed in their direction, waiting for Alfred to slow down. When his brother made no move to do so, Matthew began to worry a little.

"It's a red light, Al."

Alfred's eyes flickered over to Matthew for a moment before flicking back to stare out of the windshield, "I can see that, Mattie."

Much to Matthew's relief (and surprise), Alfred slowed to a stop. Alfred took out the bar of chocolate from his pocket and unwrapped the wrapper from it. He bit down into the chocolate and moaned, "This is delicious! Here, Mattie- try some!"

Matthew ignored the bar of chocolate that was swaying from side to side, inches away from his face, "I thought that was for Francis?"

"He'll get some too." Alfred took another bite. "So do you want some?"

"No thank-you."

Alfred shrugged, "Suit yourself." he continued eating. When he was at least half-way through the bar, he wrapped it back up again and stuffed it in his pocket. He turned to face Matthew with a smile on his face, "Think Francis'll be excited by the news?"

Matthew pretended not to know what Alfred was talking about, "That you ate his chocolate bar?"

"No," Alfred scowled, "and I didn't eat all of it. I'm talking about Artie and I staying over at your place."

"I doubt he'll like that particular news at all..."

Alfred looked genuinely surprised, "Why'd ya say that?"

"He hates Arthur."

"Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that," Alfred hummed, "think he'll be excited to see me though?"

Matthew's lack of answer worried Alfred. They drove on in utter silence (on Matthew's part) and after getting past a shit-ton of traffic, they finally arrived. As soon as the car was parked, Alfred turned off the engine and eagerly hopped out, waiting for Matthew to do the same. Matthew got out of the car and was led inside the apartment building by an overly-energetic Alfred. They climbed up the many flights of stairs, Alfred complaining about how long it took to reach Matthew's apartment the entire time.

They eventually arrived at their destination and Matthew plunged his hands into his pockets, rummaging about for his house key. He frowned ever so slightly when he couldn't feel it. He bit his lip, purposely avoiding Alfred's watchful eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing, just, um..." Matthew's lip almost started bleeding due to him biting it so hard.

Alfred shot him a sympathetic look, "Lost your key, huh?"

Matthew nodded somewhat sheepishly. Alfred reached out a forefinger and and pressed the door bell. Footsteps could be heard from the other side, each one louder than the previous one. The door opened to reveal a short, blonde woman with long hair that flowed down her back. Her icy blue eyes seemed to pierce right through them. She would've looked extremely beautiful had it not been for the scowl etched upon her face, "You're late."

"I'm sorry," Matthew apologised instantly, "I know I should've come back sooner, it wasn't fair to make you wait so long. We just-"

"Save it," the woman held up a hand to stop Matthew before he could begin his full apology, "I don't want to hear your excuses. Just get in and take your brat."

Alfred stared at the woman, completely flabbergasted by the rude tone in which she spoke in. Matthew, on the other hand, threw her another apologetic look before stepping past her. He made his way to the kitchen, leaning over the counter in order to find the correct papers which confirmed Francis' appointment. He could clearly make out the faint, fast footfalls of something rushing in his direction.

"Papa!" something threw itself at Matthew and latched itself onto his leg, clutching it tightly. Matthew looked down to see a mop of blond- almost golden- hair that undoubtedly belonged to his son, who was clinging onto his leg like a life-line. A smile blossomed on the Canadian's face. He rested his hand on top of Francis' head and regarded him with a fond look.

"Did you have a nice day?"

Francis seemed to hesitate a little, before shaking his head and answering, "No."

"Oh?" Matthew gently pried Francis' arms off and knelt down in front of him, "Why not?"

"She's mean." Francis stated with a serious expression. Matthew raised an eyebrow, having an inkling as to who 'she' might be.

"She's not that bad."

Francis gave his father a look, "Yes she is."

"She does a lot for you, you know. Miss Arlovskaya is kind enough to look after you while I'm away."

"She's still mean."

Before Matthew could say anything else, a loud voice announced a certain man's presence, "Heeeeeeey kiddo! It's meeee~!"

Francis only had enough time to process who that voice belonged to before he was scooped up.

"D'aww, you're so cute!" Alfred gushed, "You've gotten so big since I last saw you! Give your unca a hug!"

Matthew suppressed a laugh at the expression on his son's face. He stood back up and watched Francis attempting to resist a bear hug from his uncle. He stared at them for a while, until the sound of a particularly loud tick coming from the only clock in the room made him realise what time it was. "Francis, we've got to go to the dentist's now."

Almost instantly, the child's eyes widened in fear, "Non!"

"Francis-"

"Non, non, non, non, non, non, non!"

"Calm down, it's not that bad-"

"J'veux pas y aller!"

Matthew seemed to be at a loss of how to handle this and sent a pleading look in Alfred's direction. Alfred set Francis back down and withdrew what remained of the large chocolate bar from his pocket. "See this? You can have it if you go to _le dentiste_ appointment. Ça, er- will be toute á toi."

Matthew cringed at the slandering way that Alfred pronounced French words. Alfred didn't know much French, (he didn't know much of anything) but he would often butcher what little he knew with his mis-pronunciation. You could tell that he wasn't fluent in the language.

"Vraiment?"

Alfred stared at Francis blankly before turning to face Matthew, "What does that mean?"

Matthew sighed, "It means 'really'."

"Oh," Alfred turned back to Francis, "Vremun."

Matthew wanted to cry at the way Alfred slaughtered the word. Glancing down at his watch for a split second, Matthew immediately piped up, "We need to leave."

Before either Alfred or Francis could say anything, Matthew ushered them out of the apartment. He quickly grabbed his key from the key-hanger and locked the door behind him.

"Where's the scary babysitter?" Alfred asked, eyes roaming around the hall in search of said babysitter.

"Natalya's probably already left by now."

"Without even telling you?"

"Don't worry; she always does that." Matthew assured Alfred as they left the building. They made their way to the car and Francis tottled towards the passenger's door. Matthew noticed this and raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing, Francis?"

"Front seat." Francis answered plainly, his innocent cerulean eyes boring into the depths of his father's soul.

Matthew shook his head, "Sorry, Francis; that's Uncle Alfred's seat."

Francis' bottom lip trembled a little.

"Don't cry, Franny! You can have my seat!" Alfred blurted out upon seeing Francis' heartbroken expression.

"Al."

Alfred turned pleading eyes to Matthew, "Just look at him, Matt."

"He's too young to sit in the front."

"Psh, you can never be too young. Just give him a booster seat or something."

Francis looked alarmed and Matthew said hurriedly, "He's too old for that."

"Then don't add the booster seat. Just let him sit in the front. Come on... you know you can't say no to that face." Alfred waved a hand in Francis' direction.

Matthew purposely avoided looking at his son, "I can say no to yours though."

"Mattie..." two pairs of blue eyes widened as the two blonds in front of Matthew formed puppy-dog expressions. It took Matthew every ounce of willpower to prevent himself from yielding to those sad looks.

"We're going to be late. Get in the back, Francis," Matthew said, then added as an afterthought, "please."

Francis's shoulders slumped in defeat as he trailed towards the back doors. Alfred mimicked his action but headed for the passenger's seat instead. As soon as everyone was inside and buckled in, Matthew started the car and set off. His eyes flickered down at the dashboard for a split second. Oh yeah. They were definitely going to be late. He raised his eyes up to focus on the road ahead, trying to ignore the racket that his brother and son were making.

"Drive faster Mattie!"

"Yeah! Faster!" Francis agreed.

"Believe me, I'm going as fast as I can-"

"Dude, you're driving at the pace of a snail. Don't want Franny here to be late, now do you?"

"He's already late," Matthew pointed out, "maybe I should've just cancelled-"

"Trust me, it's a good thing you didn't. Then he'd have to wait for his next appointment in torment. It's better we just put him out of his misery now." Alfred looked back to face Francis, who had a quizzical expression on his face.

Matthew frowned, "I think you could've worded that better."  
Alfred shrugged, turning back to face forward, "Meh. It's true though. Which is exactly why you should speed up."

"I can't, I'd be exceeding the speed limit-"

"Look, who cares about the stupid speeding limit, we really need to hurry up... before Francis wets himself."

"What?" Francis released a surprised chirp. Matthew glanced up at the rearview mirror and commented, "He seems fine to me."

"Uh, you have bad vision then 'cause he looks like he's about to explode." Alfred quipped and Francis' face coloured.

Matthew frowned a little, "Francis, if you need the toilet, just say so."

"I don't!" Francis burst out and Alfred giggled a little at the look on his nephew's face. Matthew's eyebrows shot up upon hearing Alfred actually giggle; he would normally just boom with laughter.

"Hee hee, he's so cute! Mattie, how come you have such an adorable son?"

Matthew shrugged, although a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. A high-pitched beeping noise alerted the trio that something wasn't quite right; indeed, it seemed that they were running low on fuel.

"Damn it Matt! I told you we needed to refuel the car!"

"Language," Matthew reprimanded softly, eyeing Francis for a moment as if to tell Alfred that they were in the presence of a child before staring out at the road ahead once more, "besides, I'm the one who said we needed to pump up the car."

"Pfft, yeah right. Your memory's gettin' kinda bad. Maybe you should go see a doctor."

Matthew resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Whatever. I guess we'll need to find another gas station."

"J'peux aller aux toillette?"

"What did he say?" Alfred questioned.

"He wants to go to the toilet."

"Ha! I knew it!"

Francis pouted, causing Alfred to yet again fawn over how insanely cute he was.

"Maple." Matthew breathed as the bleeping noise only got louder.

"What was that?"

"We're running out pretty quickly; take a look." Matthew indicated to the fuel dial, which was currently on 'empty'. A sputtering noise could be heard from behind the car and Francis turned around in his seat to look behind them.

"Oh shit." Alfred said as the car began to decelerate.

"Language." Matthew managed to whisper, but no one heard him. He pulled over at the side of the road and the car broke down. He squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head to bury it in his arms, leaning forward on the steering wheel. Alfred looked baffled and Francis beamed.

"Does this mean I don't have to go to the dentist?"

**A/N: OK, that was a pretty lame chapter with a pretty lame ending, but I really felt as if I needed to write more for some reason. And yeah, I made Natalya the scary babysitter :) muahahaha! Sorry if the characters are OOC; this story is really just for fun (that doesn't mean I don't want to see it blossom into something much better or improve it or anything). Anyway, here are some translations:**

**Non - no**

**J'veux pas y aller – I don't wanna go**

**le dentiste – the dentist**

**Ça - It**

**toute á toi – all yours**

**J'peux aller aux toillette? - Can I go to the toilet?**

**And I think that about covers it. Have a nice midsummer, guys. Reviews are extremely helpful :)**


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